Sailors from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Portsmouth M+1 augments of Casualty Receiving Treatment Ship (CRTS) 5 and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) conducted a three-day CRTS certification exercise as part of a continued commitment to mission readiness, March 21.

In a collaboration between Commander, Naval Surface Forces Atlantic (SURFLANT) and Naval Medical Forces Atlantic (NMFL), the certification exercise provided the CRTS team with shipboard orientation, a lecture series, and ended with a mass casualty drill aboard Bataan. About 30 Sailors from Bataan teamed up with 75 medical staff from NMRTC Portsmouth’s CRTS team to conduct the training.

“Over the course of three days, this multidisciplinary team was exposed to the realities of auteur, maritime medicine,” said Cmdr. Jonathan Levenson, the SURFLANT force nurse who led the team for the exercise.

A CRTS is Bataan’s secondary role as a large medical asset during deployment and being able to train with CRTS 5 counterparts to supplement mission readiness and success.

“Working under the senior medical officer and the medical leaders of USS Bataan, along with Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 8, the CRTS M+1 was certified as mission ready to activate the capabilities of the largest surface combatant medical asset afloat,” explained Levenson. “This One Navy Medicine team is now ready to provide robust, lifesaving, surgical and nursing care directly to the operational forces.”

This exercise was the third year where SURFLANT led a cross-functional collaboration with support from U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) and Commander, Task Force (CTF) 80 to ensure that the amphibious squadrons and Marine expeditionary units have a fully, required operational capability and projected operational environment (ROC/POE) manned and medically capable amphibious ready group.

“The SURFLANT and USFFC teams were very impressed with the competency and professionalism demonstrated by NMRTC Portsmouth personnel,” concluded Dr. Brett Hicks, the SURFLANT deputy force surgeon. “They are to be highly commended!”

NMFL, headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, delivers operationally focused medical expertise and capabilities to meet Fleet, Marine and Joint Force requirements by providing equipment, sustainment and maintenance of medical forces during combat operations and public health crises. NMFL provides oversight for 21 NMRTCs, logistics, and public health and dental services throughout the U.S. East Coast, U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, Hawaii, Europe, and the Middle East.

Navy Medicine – represented by more than 44,000 highly-trained military and civilian health care professionals – provides enduring expeditionary medical support to the warfighter on, below, and above the sea, and ashore.